Cupcake - been meaning to thank you for starting this again and posting daily - it means a lot.

It’s all mental. I thought about it (not drinking) all day yesterday. But I had no problem not drinking at dinner out with friends. Waiting at the bar for a few minutes without drinking was odd though. Fish out of water. I made good food choices too. Funny how it goes hand in hand.

I slept well too and it’s probably the first Sunday I’m not at least a little hungover in a long time.

We’re on roll. Let’s keep going people!

I’m in as of today.

Probably the first night without alcohol in over a year.

Not looking forward to trying to sleep tonight but am looking forward to getting to dropping the beer guy that has appeared during my Ironman recovery over the last few weeks.

You are so welcome. One of the things I love about this thread is that we all come together and rally for each other. Whether people choose to do it visibly here for accountability, or PM me or someone else for a private accountabilibuddy, it's all helping us be more mindful and thoughtful about what we do with our bodies. It's pretty neat to see us all lift each other up.

Keep up the great work!

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Props and best of luck to everyone in the thread

How's everyone doing so far?

Nearly at the end of day one for me..

Made it through my ‘temptation hour’ which is when I make the family meal.. love a few beers while doing that and shooting the shit with my kids.

Still worried about getting off to sleep tonight but hey... it is what it is.

Getting through Friday and Saturday nights has put me in a great frame of mind. I have no desire for my usual Sunday libations.

I’ve also gotten back on the trainer and been eating a bit better. A trifecta I didn’t see coming.

I hope others are having a similar experience.

Amen to that. Yesterday there was no drinking for us so the wife and I went to a nice dog park with the kids, that also has a nice play area, then right next to it there are guys flying radio controlled planes which the kids like. Then Costco so good day overall.

If there was drinking we would have done the shitty dog park with shitty play area for the kids where there is BEER ON TAP!!! Would’ve downed 2-3 each then home then more drinking so good result overall. Like you said it’s all about habits.

already caved last night.

Spent a good 25 min post long run and saturday afternoon swim with the gf debating whether I should have some tequila late afternoon before we had a date night. We decided that wine is the "least bad." Definitely regretted it.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

5 months for me,. I miss it like a hole in the head, though I seldom had more than one beer a night anyway. Glad I just did it.

Was a tough one last night, ended up at the neighbors for dinner, everyone is drinking before, during, and then after, the host starts pulling out his good scotch and other interesting libations. Got a sixer of Heineken 0.0 so that helped.

I have tried all the non-alcohol beers at the local now (albeit, there are only 3). Peroni 0.0, Carlton Zero and this Raspberry Sour one. The raspberry one advertised itself as 'No alcohol', but after I had a few I was reading the can and it is 0.5%. Kind of disappointed.

So is Kombucha banned as well :-|

I feel the pain man especially the scotch

Haha I don't know. I don't consider that I have failed, was just annoyed it did have alcohol (the box clearly said 'alcohol-free' in big writing). I suppose 0.0s also contain a tiny amount.

I did find those drinks helpful. Made me feel like I was drinking but also did not have the urge to keep drinking them like I would have if it were a couple of proper beers.

Is Heineken 0.0 really 0% alcohol? I'm not judging by any means, but truly curious. I know options like O'douls,etc say less than 0.5% alcohol but still contain a trace of alcohol. I'm debating in my mind if I have one of those am I truly successful in quitting?

What does everyone think? I'm having a hard time with the challenge & I expect the cravings & temptation are going to continue all month.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

You got this!

Keep it up!

I think that something just as important as sticking with the challenge of staying dry is understanding where the cravings and triggers come from with the urge to drink. It may help you make healthier choices down the road.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

No reason you can start again. It's a small bump in the road

Five days gone. A whole 16% of the way there. Great job everyone! I hope the toughest days are behind you now.

Today was an easy one. Wish I could have slept more after such a late night, but I did over three hours of yoga today and my mind is happier for it, I’m also starting to see a dip in my RHR which is normally inflated by my medication.

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Level II USAT Coach | Level 3 USAC Coach | NASM-CPT
Team Zoot | Tailwind Trailblazer
I can tell you why you're sick, I just can't write you an Rx

Not in on this for various reasons - though I might go for I later this year. However, just wanted to make a brief comment to the 0.5% (I used to work as legal counsel at a major brewing company).

In Europe, anything up to 0.5% may be labeled as non-alcoholic. However, if you do label 0.0% it must be accurate - i.e. no alcoholic content.

Also, be aware that soft drinks contain a small amount of alcohol. I believe that it is around 0.2-0.3%, which is a result from that the flavorings that are used in the soft drinks are dissolved in alcohol.

0.5% is not really noticeable and does not have any physical effects to my knowledge. In my book, and as most non-alcoholic beers contain up to 0.5%, I wouldn’t hesitate drinking it and still consider myself being off alcohol. I am not a big drinker and have no problems with limiting my intake, but I do have switched to non-alcoholic beer for the most part and think it is a great substitute.

I wish everyone the best here. I think the focus shouldn't be alcohol free January though, it should be permanently quitting alcohol. What's the point in quitting for one month and then binging come February 1st?

I quit last January because I wanted to get serious about my calorie intake. In order to keep the cals down, it was giving up food or booze. I knew it wouldn't be food and that I needed it for training fuel. With those things in mind, I quit and haven't looked back. I had a margarita in April at dinner with a coworker and a beer on Christmas Eve at our neighbor's house. That's it. I enjoyed those drinks, but did not crave more or miss it.

For me it was choosing between something more important. What is it for you? Knowing your better sober for your family, long term health, performance, weight loss, etc.? Do it for you forever.

Hate to be a party pooper but it can be life threatening for an alcoholic to just stop drinking altogether so if anyone out there is a very heavy drinker it’d be best if you sought medical advice about stopping alcohol rather than just attempting to quit outright.

If that is how you feel, get back on Dry and enjoy the journey 🙏